He may not be as desperate as Matt Damon trying to survive life on Mars in The Martian, but Nicoderm is hoping consumers will relate to its astronaut trying to quit smoking in a new ad.
For its first mass media advertising campaign in nearly a decade, the Johnson & Johnson brand has launched a 30-second TV spot promoting its nicotine patch, which aims to help smokers control their cigarette cravings.
The ad, playing in English and French across conventional and specialty TV networks, shows an astronaut on edge as he tries to quit his nasty habit during his mission in space.
“We wanted to use an astronaut because we felt it was a tool that allowed us to contemporize the brand a little bit and create a visual setting that is memorable for the viewer,” Alessandro Tenuta, a brand manager at Johnson & Johnson in Toronto, told Marketing.
He also acknowledged the space theme is popular these days, with movies like The Martian released in 2015, and Gravity from 2013.
Tenuta said the brand was encouraged by its lead creative agency, Tribal, to make a big statement with its return to mass media advertising.
“While those trying to quit smoking can make plans to avoid common triggers and routines, sometimes the biggest challenges are unexpected,” Paul Wallace, executive creative director DDB Canada Toronto (affiliated with Tribal), said in a recent blog post promoting the ad. “The new creative by DDB Canada and Tribal Worldwide Toronto demonstrates how Nicoderm is there to support those attempting to stop smoking, whenever and wherever triggers challenge their willpower.”
The video ad, which runs until March, is the first the company has created since the “>irritable flight attendant ad from late 2006.
There is no directed social media campaign for this campaign. Tenuta said Johnson & Johnson might look at social in future, but felt its audience is more aligned with traditional media.
“When you consider that we have been absent from mass media for about 10 years, we wanted to come in with a big splash that we felt TV allowed us to do.”
Nicoderm has also done a “robust” digital video buy, Tenuta said. The ads will be targeted around sites where smokers go to get more information on how to quit smoking.
